Posted tagged ‘Scripture’

“Today’s geology assumes the truth of secular naturalism as a matter of course. That emphasizes the need to examine the philosophical and theological issues. For example, people ask if the Bible is a reliable historical source. That’s not a question of science, but it is a question that has profound implications for geology. If we answer in the negative, we have made a profound theological statement; if we answer in the affirmative, then prehistory is precluded and the atheistic geological history that most of us learned in school is false.”

So here is one man who says that we are making a profound theological statement when we ask if the Bible is a reliable historical source. But then other Christians answer the question in a more agnostic, “I don’t know” fashion. And still other Christians agree with the atheists, thinking that answering in the affirmative is “embarrassing.” But, do the agnostic or “embarrassed” believers, as well as the unbelievers realize what a profound theological statement they are making? And do they realize, as Dr. Reed points out, that the earth age question is not primarily a question of science, but of history?

Should any Christian be agnostic or embarrassed about whether the Bible is a reliable historical source? Well, no. Think about the detailed genealogical records in Scripture. Those are in the Bible to remind us of God’s unbroken covenant of grace with mankind throughout history. Beginning with Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:15, God’s covenant of grace unfolds through history, going from Adam to Noah, to Abraham, to Moses, to David, and finally to Christ.

Also, looking at Scriptures like Romans 1:20, or Matthew 19:4, or Mark 10:6, there is no good reason to interpret those any other way except that mankind was present from Day 6 on. Personally, I don’t know exactly how old the earth is, but it is reasonable to conclude from Scripture that it is around 6,000 years old, and mankind has been there since the beginning.

If you are a Christian who is currently “agnostic” or “embarrassed” about the earth age question, I encourage you to read Rocks Aren’t Clocks. You will quickly understand that there isn’t a science vs. Scripture battle, but there is most definitely a battle between the worldviews of Christianity and naturalism. The battle is over how to interpret history, not whether Christians are debating the existence of gravity, DNA, etc. If, on the other hand, you are an unbeliever who thinks Christianity is foolishness, then I pray that God will change your heart, because all the evidence in the world won’t save you. Jesus saves.

Before Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement, there was a man named Jackie Robinson who broke through the “color barrier” in professional baseball. His story is beautifully portrayed in the movie, 42. It is so sad how intolerant and bigoted whites were towards blacks back then. They were so cruel, using their power, influence, and Darwinistic nonsense to bully non-whites into submission and falsely portray themselves as “superior”.

Thankfully in America today, we don’t see this extreme intolerance and hatred towards others on the same level so many non-whites experienced in the past. But Scripture reminds us that all of us are sinners (that means me, and that means you) in need of a Savior(Romans 3:23). So, until the King returns, we should not be surprised to see 21st Century humans responding with intolerance and bigotry towards those who look and think differently. And just like intolerance toward non-whites was fueled by irrational and anti-intellectual groups wearing costumes (think “KKK”), expect the same from 21st Century groups that promote 20th Century, pre-Civil Rights intolerance.

Who am I referring to? Well, it’s the same group I posted about yesterday, who, like the KKK, are planning to come in costume to the Texas Home School Coalition’s annual convention in the Woodlands. And what are they doing there? Well, believe it or not, their purpose is to display their intolerance towards Christians who have a different opinion about dinosaur history than they do! That’s right, they’re protesting DINO HISTORY. They are intolerant of folks like me and the fact that, by God’s grace, we trust the authority of His word over the authority of men in costumes.

The atheists will be at the THSC convention this Saturday, Aug. 3. Atheist Aron Ra has encouraged them, in KKK bigotry fashion, to attend in costume ((Warning! Aron is quite the capitalist, fueling his anti-religious bigotry with “pop-up” advertisements that appear when you click on any links, plus ads to the side of the blog text).

On Sunday, the same group is planning on having an anti-religion rally disguised as an “Answers in Science” meeting at the Houston Museum of Natural Science. I’ve asked HMNS to cancel the meeting, and let this group of intolerant bullies meet elsewhere. We don’t approve of bullies in the classroom, so why does HMNS approve of them in their lecture hall? The atheist gang is certainly entitled to express their opinion and display their intolerance of others for the world to see. I just think it’s wrong for HMNS to profit off of renting intolerant bullies a place to meet.

Yesterday, Brad Levy of HMNS (713-639-4629, press “2” and ask for Brad) gave the excuse that it’s “too late in the game” to ask them to cancel. No, it’s not too late. After I tweeted my blog post to @hmns, I received a response from HMNS VP of Marketing and Communications, Latha Thomas (713-639-4712), who informed me “Organizations are permitted to rent our event space, unless we determine, at our sole discretion, that an event is reprehensible or repugnant.” I called Latha today, but she never returned my call. I am wondering if she has seen any of the comments on my blog post from yesterday? I wonder if HMNS would think any of these are “reprehensible or repugnant?”

“Enjoy your wailing and gnashing of teeth, because reality is coming to bite you HARD.”

“Religion is a mental illness.”

Or how about this from “Answers in Science” speaker Aron Ra (who is not a scientist), whose blog is subtitled: “Science doesn’t know everything. Religion doesn’t know anything.” Should that be HMNS’ new motto, too? I certainly hope not! Pray for HMNS directors to make a wise decision about all this, and see the anti-religious bullies for what they are.

Pray also for atheists like Aron Ra, who defy reason and scholarship by presenting a false battle between science and religion. In Advancement of Learning, Francis Bacon, founder of the scientific method, said that “a man cannot be too well studied in the book of God’s word or the book of God’s works.” He also said we should “Study first, the Scriptures, then nature,” and that we should be careful not to “unwisely mingle” the two together. Bacon’s foundation for connecting Scripture and nature was Matthew 22:29. It was obvious to Bacon, and it’s obvious to me and many other Christians, that there is an incredible unity and diversity between God’s word and His works, or “divinity and philosophy” as Bacon said, or “religion and science” as moderns say.

Only a fool would say there’s a conflict between science and religion. Pray that, instead of pushing intolerance and bigotry, that God would change these atheists hearts. Otherwise, the more they bully, and the more groups like HMNS continue to profit from their intolerance, the closer we’ll get to separate fountains.

Life does not evolve, it adapts. Watch my YouTube video, Adaptation, and learn more about what 21st Century science is revealing regarding epigenetics, and what God’s word and works have always revealed. The only reason evolutionism exists is because some people think God is a liar. I say let God be true, and every man a liar (Romans 3:4)!

One thing I mention in Adaptation is that genetic mutations have never been observed to create new information. In this article by Dr. Rob Carter, he states that our increased understanding of cell complexity means “We have to make a distinction between mutation and ‘designed variation’.” Dr. Carter understands cell complexity better than most (including me!), and he argues that our genomes contain some ability to generate “new” information via genetic change. In other words, there is some built-in variation via genetic change that may seem to create “new” information to us, but in reality God designed it in. In my book, Exchange of Truth, I use the word “genoversity” to describe the diversity within a genome. When God said He created different kinds of things, he meant it, and now more than ever our understanding of cell complexity is revealing to us the limited flexibility He programmed into each genome for each original created kind. Diversity within a created kind is an attribute of God (Romans 12:4-5), allowing organisms to adapt, within limits, as their environments change.

Unlike our lineup of High School Science products, DIVE Earth Science is a standalone curriculum. No extra book(s) are required, although a list of optional materials is provided for those who want to go above and beyond the basic curriculum.

DIVE Earth Science will change the way you think about the Earth! God gave us the Earth to use and manage wisely (Genesis 1:26-28). DIVE Earth Science teaches students how to use Earth’s abundant resources, while avoiding the “ditches” of overuse and overprotection.

DIVE Earth Science consists of four sections: Earth Science Basics, Flood Geology, Limnology and Oceanography, and Meteorology and Astronomy. In Earth Science Basics, students are presented with foundational ideas that are developed further in the other three sections. This method is similar to John Saxon’s successful mathematics teaching format of introducing a foundational topic early on, and reviewing and building on it later.

In many Earth Science courses, students are taught misleading arguments that withhold many facts, such as “the Big Bang is the only explanation for how the Universe was created”, “fossil fuel burning is the only cause of global warming”, “fertilizer runoff from farms is causing the dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico”, “all oil is formed from dead dinosaurs”, and many others. Possibly more than any other curriculum before it, DIVE Earth Science brings clarity to these arguments, and strives to tell “the rest of the story”.

In any Earth Science course, the subject of Earth history will inevitably arise. The subject has become highly politicized, mainly by the liberal left, who falsely equate the study of history with testable, repeatable science. Today, only one creation story is dogmatically taught in most government schools and universities, and it is not the story found in Scripture. DIVE Earth Science treats the study of history honestly, which means we treat it like history, not science. And that means historical documents like Scripture are helpful and necessary.

With DIVE Earth Science, students will learn to discern between unverifiable natural history research and verifiable scientific investigation. Also, students are presented with a variety of ideas about how the Earth and Universe formed, not just one “consensus” view! The goal of DIVE Earth Science is not to support a consensus view, but to teach students how to search for truth. Christian or non-Christian, “old” earth or “young” earth, I would hope that is something we would all want to help our children do!

We have a CD-ROM version for $80, and an online subscription for $50, plus $10 for each additional family member. The online version has many advantages including access anywhere you have a computer and Internet, no CD to damage and/or lose, and maybe most importantly, automated scoring and grade tracking. Click here to learn how the online version can make grading a breeze for busy homeschool parents! DIVE Online works on Windows and Mac computers, and even though it is Flash-based, it will also work on an iPad if you use the Photon browser.

Here is a sample pdf file of the laboratory manual, which includes the yearly schedule:

Here’s a pdf file containing a list of all laboratory supplies. Many items can be purchased locally, and Internet links are provided for other supplies. There is also a list of optional reading materials, both Internet links/videos, and books/DVDs to purchase:

DIVE Earth Science will change the way science is taught. It will give your child a 21st Century Earth Science education, while strengthening their faith in the absolute truth of Scripture as a God-inspired work that is a true account of the history of Earth and the Universe.

Here is a link to our Facebook page, where I have a description of DIVE Earth Science topics covered each week. Just click on the photos, and the descriptions are attached to them.

To purchase, click here for the CD or here for the online version. Here’s a short commercial about DIVE Earth Science:

Do you have a question or comment about the new DIVE Earth Science? Post it below: